A time-slotted channel hopping (“TSCH”) network can be defined by IEEE 802.15.4 and provide a communications network for resource providers (e.g., utility companies, home automation providers, industrial automation providers, or scientific and environmental application providers. A TSCH network can include one or more layers of TSCH nodes. A TSCH network can also include a network coordinator for communicating with one or more layer one TSCH nodes via sequences of TSCH slot frames. The slot frames can comprise a sequence of slots (also known as time slots). A repeating hopping pattern defines a channel frequency or channel for communication on each slot, each channel corresponding to a different frequency or frequency range. The network coordinator can periodically transmit beacons (e.g., advertisement messages, solicitation messages, or enhanced beacons) to assist adjacent TSCH nodes (TSCH nodes that are within communication range of the network coordinator) in joining the TSCH network. The TSCH slot frame is defined such that only a subset of time slots (e.g., synchronization time slots) are reserved for the beacons (e.g., 10%). In order to join the TSCH network, adjacent nodes listen for the beacons transmitted by the network coordinator. However, current processes for formation of the TSCH network are inefficient, sometimes requiring multiple hours for the TSCH nodes to join and synchronize with the network coordinator.
For example, the adjacent TSCH nodes must scan through the possible TSCH channels while listening for the beacons. Since the network coordinator is periodically transmitting the beacons during a small subset of the slot frame, the chance that the adjacent TSCH node is listening on the correct channel during the transmission of the beacon is small. Many beacons transmitted by the network coordinator are never received by the adjacent TSCH nodes attempting to join the network.